Communications as a Service

.. abbreviated to CaaS – is a label used to define multiple methods of communication that use an internet based delivery model – in much the same way as SaaS, IaaS and PaaS.

We use CaaS all the time

Today many of the large telephone carriers have migrated calls onto an IP or VoIP system allowing for calls to be made from an internet connected device. An example could be within the UK, if you subscribe to an internet connection your ISP may offer a low cost deal on telephony. In this instance the provider is routing your inbound and outbound telephone calls and billing via a CaaS system.

Beyond telephony

Communications today is key to any customer centric organisation; the issue is how we access our communications services with all the devices at our disposal. An example being mobile communications, the humble mobile telephone is now a multimedia device capable of managing email through to video and contact applications and instant messaging.

The convergence of systems both within the small to medium business sector and enterprise class organisations has the effect of de-centralisation control. By using a CaaS solution your organisation benefits by moving control of communications back into a controlled environment.

Common CaaS solutions:

Communications as a Service is comprised of a number of elements that work in an integrated system, some of these elements are;

Voice over IP:  This is where calls are sent and received using the internet, in a CaaS solution calls are able to be routed wherever there is an internet connection and are able to be received on Mobiles, Computers with headsets and IP telephones.

Instant messaging:  controlling your instant messaging applications and logging of messages for security purposes.

Video Conferencing: The ability to speak on video and provide presentations to your contact set negating the need for face-to-face visits and removing travelling costs

Call recording: regulatory or other concerns may necessitate the need to record conversations with a CaaS solution this is easily achievable.

Message routing: ensuring prompt reply to voicemail messages or out of hours services is key to good customer service. A CaaS solution allows you to route voicemail messages to any internet device using a variety of methods such as email.

Exploiting CaaS within an SMB

Cloud computing has revolutionised how technology and applications are purchased deployed and managed. CaaS services allow for a small to medium business to deploy enterprise class unified communications systems for a fraction of the cost of traditionally premise deployed technologies.

Using a CaaS provider for your communications provides a number of financial and operational advantages. Some of these advantages are;

  Provider independent telephony

Have you ever had to move premises or do you use a serviced office provider? If the answer is yes to any of these then you may be aware of the costs of calls or portability of phone numbers if you move out of the region that your localised dialling code supports. Using a CaaS system calls are routed through the internet which may save telephony costs whilst phone numbers are routable to any internet connection in the world freeing your organisations from being dependent on a location.

  Integrated communications across devices

Using today’s smartphone’s and home based computing systems your organisation can be flexible on head office location and where your employees are connected. Being able to receive messages, telephony calls, instant messages and video across devices improves productivity and is especially useful when employees are unable to attend work due to snow or any other unforeseen event.

  Communications as a Service with the contact centre

To deploy or upgrade a contact or call centre usually incurs significant costs in terms of hardware and deployment consultancy. With the rapid advancements in CaaS solutions staying up to date with the latest and greatest technology has become almost impossible with traditional solutions. By moving your systems onto a CaaS solution your contact centre is able to exploit technology gains whilst removing service and support by contracting with your provider.

Some of the features available to call centres by using a CaaS service include;

• Call re-routing and redundancy – ensuring failover in the event of system downtime
• Digital voice recording – ensure all recorded calls are easily accessible and stored
• Live speech analytics- ensuring critical communications such as terms and conditions are delivered by your contact agent by analysing voice recognition patterns
• Mobile recording – ensure that mobile communications are managed for compliance purposes including recording of all calls
• Simultaneous messaging – make sure all staff are up to date with a single instant message to all contact centre operators
• Increased reliability

Using this service can be more reliable than alternative forms because your organisation is accessing a system that is hosted within a cloud computing model. By subscribing to this model your provider will be able to deliver technology upgrades and a system that is architected for redundancy with geographical failover in the event of an outage.

Which provider is right for you?

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages of using a CaaS provider, determining which provider is right for your business depends on your requirements number of users and contact volumes. In some instances a hosted unified communications service may satisfy most requirements especially within a smaller business.

Compare the Cloud has a free discovery service will help you assess your requirements and will assist us to put forward the right prospective suppliers for your requirements.

Take a few minutes to complete the Discovery Q&A and Compare the Cloud will present you with a number of Communications as a Service suppliers according to your criteria.